Oxytocin News and Research

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Oxytocin is a small but potent nine-amino acid hormone secreted within the brain, from the hypothalamus.

Researchers explore how different birth experience affect the developing nervous system

It is an experience we all share, as miraculous as it is mysterious. Birth. Today, roughly one in three births in the United States occurs via cesarean section or C-section.

5 Nov 2020

Cesarean delivery’s effects on birth hormones may lead to neurodevelopmental consequences

Cesarean section delivery and vaginal delivery lead to different hormonal exposures that may affect a newborn's development, according to an article published in the Journal of Neuroendocrinology.

4 Nov 2020

Researchers identify distinct link between autism and brain cell abnormalities

Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers report that new experiments with genetically engineered mice have found clear connections among a range of autism types and abnormalities in brain cells whose chemical output forges platonic (non-sexual) feelings of love and sociability.

30 Oct 2020

Penn State researcher leads $3.8 million project to create an atlas of developing mice brains

A grant from the National Institutes of Health will allow a Penn State College of Medicine researcher to lead a three-year, multi-institution project to create an atlas of developing mice brains.

13 Oct 2020

Researcher receives NIH award to explore effect of women's hormones on postpartum opioid relapse

When most people think of opioid addiction, they typically do not think of pregnant women. Unfortunately, however, the prevalence of opioid addiction during pregnancy has increased nearly 500% during the past 15 years.

8 Oct 2020

Oxytocinergic and vasopressinergic substances in the brain are involved in guiding social behavior

Research conducted by the University of Valencia (UV) and the Jaume I University of Castellón (UJI), among other institutions, has found alterations to the structure of the brain's nonapeptidergic systems, social behavior and the production of pheromones, traits that reveal sexual dimorphism, in male mice with a lack of the Mecp2 gene.

4 Sep 2020

Oxytocin can aid in the control and prevention of osteoporosis

Oxytocin, produced by the hypothalamus and sometimes known as the "love hormone" for its involvement in pair bonding and orgasm, can be a strong ally in the control and prevention of osteoporosis, according to a study by scientists at São Paulo State University in Brazil.

10 Aug 2020

Researchers provide insights into maternity care practices and costs in Ireland

Researchers from the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Trinity College Dublin have provided an international perspective on differences in key birth interventions as part of a European research network on understanding and contextualising physiological labour and birth (EU COST Action IS1405), which provides insights into maternity care practices and costs in Ireland.

7 Aug 2020

Antibiotic treatment in early life impedes development of 'social brain' in mice

Antibiotic treatment in early life impedes brain signalling pathways that function in social behaviour and pain regulation in mice, a new study by Dr Katerina Johnson and Dr Philip Burnet has found. It was published today in BMC Neuroscience.

22 Jul 2020

Oxytocin can help treat cognitive disorders

Alzheimer’s disease progressively degrades a person’s memory and cognitive abilities, often resulting in dementia.

20 Jul 2020

Study shows social robot offers new strategies for pain management

Could furry social robots help bolster moods and reduce pain when human to human contact isn't an option, for example, during a pandemic?

23 Jun 2020

Mice study shows how oxytocin can amplify aggression as well as friendliness

During the pandemic lockdown, as couples have been forced to spend days and weeks in one another's company, some have found their love renewed while others are on their way to divorce court.

22 Jun 2020

Oxytocin study may help treat a variety of psychiatric conditions

During the pandemic lockdown, as couples have been forced to spend days and weeks in one another's company, some have found their love renewed while others are on their way to divorce court.

16 Jun 2020

Study finds nitrous oxide use during labor to be safe with rare side effects

Researchers at the University of Colorado College of Nursing and the School of Medicine Department of Anesthesiology at the Anschutz Medical Campus found that the use of nitrous oxide as a pain relief option for individuals in labor is safe for newborn children and laboring individual, and converting to a different form of pain relief such as an epidural or opioid is influenced by a woman's prior birth history and other factors.

29 May 2020

Despite their safety, birth control pills are associated with several side effects

Birth control pills are an effective and safe form of birth control; however, they are associated with a number of side effects, including mood alterations.

20 May 2020

New study explores brain regions that drive the instinct to form lasting bonds

When it comes to forming a lasting bond, our longing for a partner may be as important as-;if not more important than-;how we react when we're with them, suggests a surprising new brain imaging study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

13 May 2020

Study pinpoints potential neural basis for monogamous reunion

When it comes to forming a lasting bond, our longing for a partner may be as important as--if not more important than--how we react when we're with them, suggests a surprising new brain imaging study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences this week.

11 May 2020

Four drugs that could halt preterm labor identified

As the number of preterm births in the U.S. continues to rise, there is an increasing need for new approaches to prevent preterm labor from progressing to preterm birth. Researchers have discovered a common molecular pathway in women who experience preterm labor and are using this insight to develop new treatments for woman who experience early labor.

27 Apr 2020

Mother-infant touch and contact promote baby's neurophysiological development

As the world prioritizes social distancing to stop or slow down the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19), a new study by researchers at Florida Atlantic University demonstrates that mother-infant touch and contact are essential for optimal neurodevelopmental regulation in early infancy.

25 Mar 2020

Two brain-signaling molecules control anemonefish fathering and aggression

Two brain-signaling molecules control how anemonefish dads care for their young and respond to nest intruders, researchers report in a new study.

16 Mar 2020